#124: World of Nintendo - K.K. Slider

I was checking out Target to see if there were any good post-Christmas deals, and found some new World of Nintendo mini figures. I don't really keep close tabs on this line, so it was a nice surprise to find K.K. Slider from the Animal Crossing series. He moves at the neck and shoulders and has his guitar case on his back. Since K.K. Slider typically appears in game on Saturday nights, it's appropriate that my last post of the year is about him and is being posted on a Saturday night. Thanks for reading, everyone. See you next year, and I promise not to let myself get months behind on posting like I have the past two years.

#123: Marvel Legends - Heroes For Hire (Ghost Rider)

I should have bought this figure when it first came out a few months ago, because it ended up being pretty hard to find. Probably due to Ghost Rider appearing on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., although that is the Robbie Reyes version, and this figure is the classic Johnny Blaze. If nothing else, Ghost Rider is one of the coolest looking characters ever because his head is a skull on fire. Good luck finding a better look than that. Naturally, the best part of this figure is the head. It's translucent orange plastic, with the bone painted on. It catches the light and give Ghost Rider glowing eyes well. Also, the jaw is articulated, which is always a neat touch. There is a chain around his chest, but that's as close to an accessory that's included. Now I just need to find a 1/12 scale motorcycle for him.

#122: LEGO - Birthday Table Decoration (40153)

So this is kind of a weird little set. It's a birthday table decoration. Not a cake topper! The box specifically states that it is for "table decoration only." Basically it's a cake that a jester can pop out of, like you see strippers doing in movies. The jester is a half minifigure (no legs) that sits on one end of a lever. Pushing down on the other end causes the top of the cake and the jester to rise. There are pieces to customize the number corresponding to the age of the person whose birthday is being celebrated, with a range of one to ninety nine. Since it's nowhere near my birthday, I opted to go with 42 for display purposes.

#121: Marvel Legends - The Punisher

Here we go with another Walgreens exclusive, Marvel Legends Punisher. The timing of the release seemed close enough to be cashing in on his appearance in the second season of Daredevil, and he's a fairly prominent character, so why make him an exclusive? I'm guessing is's so that he wouldn't be packaged with a build-a-figure piece, and so more accessories could be budgeted in. They did the same for Deadpool, but included him in a standard retail series, so who knows. Either way, the accessories are where the Punisher really shines. He's got the same bazooka as Deadpool (but no boxing glove), a huge machine gun, an inexplicably white shotgun, and two heads. The head that is attached in the packaging is the Jim Lee style 80s head with a Rambo headband, while the other head makes it look like Frank had some bad seafood for lunch.  Oddly for a guy who mostly uses guns, this Punisher's hands don't have trigger fingers extended. He can still hold them, at least.

#120: Star Wars The Black Series - Imperial Hovertank Pilot

Another new Stormtrooper variant from Rogue One, the Imperial Hovertank Pilot is a Toys R Us exclusive. Except for the paint and the helmet, it's basically the same figure as the shoretrooper. I guess the Death Troopers are the only new Imperial forces that care about protecting their thighs with armor. Oddly, of the new Imperial figures so far, this is the only one with the standard Stormtrooper blaster. I think we only actually see one of these troopers in the movie, so that makes him unique.

#119: Ultimate Spider-Man Minimates - Jet-pack Spider-Man and Squirrel Girl

I've only watched the first season of the Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon, because that's all that was on Netflix at the time. Apparently, it has improved by including Squirrel Girl so I might have to go back and watch the rest of it. This set is a Walgreens exclusive, and it still continues to seem weird that Walgreens gets so many cool exclusives. While there has recently been a Squirrel Girl Funko Pop, this is the first actual action figure for her. In the show she wears her classic costume, so that's what she's wearing here, complete with weird eye makeup. The packaging calls out that it "includes squirrels!" and there are three of them. They have Minimates style cylindrical heads, even. There are a couple accessories (not pictured) that I am a bit mystified about. They kind of look like ice cream cones, but I really have no clue. Also included is Spider-Man, with a jet pack. It has a nice flame effects piece that doubles as a stand. He also has an alternate "thumbs up" hand and another head with larger eyes.

#118: Transformers Titans Return - Astrotrain & Darkmoon

Astrotrain is one of the Transformers toys I had as a kid, and I thought it was cool both because it was a triple changer as well as because one of its alt-modes was a space shuttle. I didn't get around to getting the Classics version from a while back, so I was glad that there's a new version. Getting this one was a bit convoluted, as at first it wasn't in stock in stores or online for a reasonable price. Then I found one on the Target website while there was a sale going on as well as a toys coupon, so I was able to order it for store pickup at a good price. Then I got an e-mail saying the order was delayed and would not arrive until early January. Then they started showing up in stores, but I had a much better price on the order so I didn't want to cancel it. Finally, it ended up arriving earlier than the original postponement warned. Astrotrain's robot mode is pretty cool. He's got a couple guns which can be combined into one as pictured. There's a definite resemblance to the original toy's robot mode.

Putting the "astro" in his name, one of the alt-modes is a space shuttle. This looks a lot more sci-fi and flattened than the original, but it's cool. There are a few options for how to attach the guns in this mode. There is a seat for Darkmoon in the back between the tail fins.

Less impressive is train mode. Rather than turning into an old fashioned train engine like the original, this version appears to be multiple cars long. It's basically some sort of sci-fi battle train with a big chunk of stuff in the middle. There are rolling wheels on the bottom that work for this mode.

#117: The LEGO Batman Movie Minifigures - King Tut

King Tut was one of the more memorable villains from the 1966 Batman TV series, and now he's back in Pog LEGO form. I'm guessing all these lower tier villains are there mostly as a Joker induced distraction for Batman rather than having any major role, but it is cool that some of them are getting what is probably their first and only toy. King Tut is probably most easily found by feeling for either his staff or the snake. Either one is distinctive enough and easy to feel for that he is easy to find through the packaging.

#116: The LEGO Batman Movie Minifigures - Orca

Orca is a repaint of the guy in a shark suit minifigure that was available recently. She's easy to feel for because she's the only minifigure with flippers for arms, and the big body piece has a dorsal fin and a tail. The "head" piece has the inside of a mouth painted on it, complete with uvula and tongue. If you swap that piece into the shark suit guy, you have just made a King Shark custom. A King Shark minifigure being made seems unlikely, so that might be your best bet.

#115: The LEGO Batman Movie Minifigures - Lobster Lovin' Batman

I'd heard the street date for LEGO Batman Movie minifigures was the first day of the upcoming year, but I found some at Target a few days before Christmas. There wasn't a whole display, so I wasn't able to get all of the minifigures that I want, but I did get some of them. I had to get Lobster Lovin' Batman (as seen in the trailers) because I just love that LEGO Batman keeps his mask on, even when he's home relaxing in Wayne Manor. And he's wearing a smoking jacket-esque robe. The easiest way to find this one is by feeling for the platter, which is particularly large. The lobster is also a good way to feel for it.

#114: Transformers Titans Return - Mindwipe and Vorath

I don't know anything about Mindwipe, I don't think I've ever heard of him until I saw a picture of this toy online. But his alt-mode is a bat, so I had to get one. Robot mode is nice enough. It's purple and has bat wings, which is cool. He's got a gun and a shield with blades on the end.

Here's the robotic bat alt-mode. Interestingly, the wings fold up to form the lower legs of robot mode. It's kind of ridiculous looking, but in a fun way. The gun and shield can form into a little tank thing for Vorath to ride around in, or they can attach as a tail and Vorath can go in the chamber in Mindwipe's bat-chest. I think that's what it's for, anyway. It opens and Vorath fits. It's not mentioned in the instructions.

#113: Star Wars Droid Factory - Mickey Mouse Ears Astromech

The other Droid Factory astromech I got has a white, blue, and silver color scheme yet manages to look completely different from R2-D2. This one has a Mickey Mouse ears hat, which has the Jedi Order logo printed on it.

#112: Star Wars Droid Factory - Sorcerer's Apprentice Astromech

Friend of the blog James went to Disneyworld and got me a couple of the Disney exclusive Droid Factory astromechs. Remember when the Star Wars line did build a figure with droids? That's basically what these are, with the added extra of a special hat. They come in clamshell packages that can be re-sealed easily. One of the cool things is that you get to name the droid yourself, and it includes a sticker sheet so you can add the name to the card in the package. This droid is an astromech with a domed head (an R4?) in dark colors that make it look Imperial. This one has the hat Mickey Mouse wore in the Sorcerer's Apprentice segment of Fantasia, complete with Mickey Mouse ears sticking out.

#111: Star Wars The Black Series - Scarif Stormtrooper Squad Leader

Part of the fun of a new Star Wars movie is getting new trooper variants. I already got the Death Trooper, and here is one of other new Stormtroopers, the shoretrooper. Interestingly, the squad leader is the regular retail version, while the standard Scarif Stormtrooper is a Wal-Mart exclusive. Perhaps I'll be getting one of those later. These troopers have a different style of helmet , and their upper legs aren't even armored. But what really sets them apart is their color: Shoretroopers are way more earth-toned than any other Imperial force. The squad leader has some extra touches of color, with the blue on the shoulders and chest. It's a different look, and I like it. The shoretrooper is armed with a blaster rifle that I think (so far) is unique to it.

#110: Marvel Legends - Ms. Marvel

Possibly the most anticipated figure in the Sandman series is the newest Ms. Marvel, Kamala Khan. She's still a very new character, but she has become very popular in a short amount of time thanks in part to the writing in her solo series, and due to the fact she helps fill a void in cape comics. It also helps that she's a really fun character. She makes for a nice looking figure, with a great smirk on her face. Neutral expressions on figures tend to get boring, while more interesting expressions can turn out looking horrible, but this is one done right. For accessories, Kamala includes a couple of swappable forearms to represent her Inhuman powers.

#109: Marvel Legends - Green Goblin

Next up from the Sandman series is perhaps Spider-Man's most iconic nemesis, the Green Goblin. The packaging doesn't specify which Osborne it is, but I'll go with Harry, since it doesn't have the pointy bit on the front of the glider. As I guessed, Hobgoblin was basically a pre-paint of Green Goblin. Naturally the head is different, and Green Goblin doesn't have a cape, but the gliders are different too. And GG has a painted pumpkin bomb rather than a translucent one. I haven't had a Green Goblin from the Marvel Legends line (it's been a while since they made one, and the most recent version was the Ultimate one as a build a figure), so I'm glad to have been able to add it to my collection.

#108: S.H. Figuarts Sailor Moon - Sailor Neptune

I've been slowly collecting all the Sailor Scouts for a while now. Having already collected the inner planet scouts, it's time for my first outer planet scout, Sailor Neptune. When Neptune and Uranus showed up in the cartoon, I thought they were cool because they were more experienced and more handy in a fight. Neptune comes with the usual display stand, as well as interchangeable faces, even more extra hands than usual, and her Deep Aqua Mirror. She also includes extra arms to allow her to be positioned in her transformation pose.

#107: World of Nintendo - Metroid

Last year for Christmas, I got the larger metroid figure, and now close to the end of the year, I found the newer small version. I feel like I could throw in a joke about how soul sucking 2016 has been here. This version is about an inch and a half high, does not have articulated mandibles, and includes a little hover stand. It's pretty basic, but it looks good and does what it needs to do.

#106: Marvel Legends Series (12 inch) - Iron Man

I've been curious about these new 12 inch Marvel Legends figures, but not quite enough to drop fifty bucks. But for Black Friday I was able to get one for less than the cost of a standard Marvel Legends figure, and that was a deal I couldn't resist. I'll probably be too cheap to ever get a Hot Toys version of Iron Man, so this is a nicely way cheaper alternative. It's actually in a pretty close scale, as it's almost exactly the same height as my Hot Toys Captain America. So this is basically a sized up Marvel Legends figure, and it turned out really well. It looks really cool, and has a nice heft to it. There are a couple repulsor blasts that can plug into the hands, as well as alternate fists, and an unmasked Tony Stark head. This is a comic figure rather than a movie figure, so it's not a Robert Downey Jr likeness. My favorite part of the figure is the arc reactor. It's an actual three dimensional sculpt covered with a flat piece of clear plastic. It's very cool looking in person. I actually ended up liking this figure more than I expected, and may pick up the Spider-Man as well. Hopefully Hasbro continues making more figures in this sub-line.

#105: Marvel Legends - Spider-Man (black costume)

It's been a while since there has been a black costume Spider-Man figure, and this one is mostly an improvement. Aesthetically, this is a generally better looking sculpt, and this time around there is none of that annoying blue shading on the black parts of the costume. And it has the ridiculously oversized eyes that I am fond of. The default hands are fists, and there is a pair of swappable climbing hands. Unfortunately, this Spider-Man is packaged in a bit of an action pose, which leads to the legs being bent outwards at a painful looking angle. So I'm going to need to straighten those out.